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distgenius's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rikerandom's review
4.0
This was … weird? But in a good way! Dark and slightly creepy and I couldn't shake the feeling that I missed some kind of prologue or introduction or previous stories set in this universe? There was this whole feeling of missing just this small thing, this one fact, that kept just out of reach. I still enjoyed the story very, very much but it was kinda strange. I also totally lacked the necessary knowledge about the cultural background of this story, because I'm woefully ignorant about everything but whitebread-western-european-stuff. So no idea how many details I missed because of that but I'm guessing the story only gets more impressive if you have a connection to its cultural background.
rainbowcircus's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
3.0
The setting was interesting and I wish there had been more opportunity to explore the world, I didn't particularly form any connection with any of the characters which is why this is a solid 3*.
alegerdemain's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
ryon's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lezreadalot's review against another edition
4.0
The dragon’s eyes were a light grey, the color of storm clouds gathering. She was looking straight at Yên with an expression that was half-irritation, half-hunger, as if she would gobble Yên whole, given half a chance.
And what scared Yên most? This might, in the end, be just what she longed for.
A hugely imaginative fantasy tale (with a good dose of sci-fi) that tackles colonialism, imperialism and a Beauty and the Beast-esque narrative in a Vietnam-inspired world. It's got magic! It's got romance! It's got a really hot dragon! I wanted for nothing.
Or, well, I wanted for a little bit, but that's honestly more my fault than the book's. Nothing is over-explained, and there's no huge info-dumping or exposition about the world, which is a very good thing. But it did mean that it kind of took me a while to grasp the threads of the plot and the world that the story was taking place in. (I probably didn't help matters by not having read the blurb.) I was fuzzy on a lot of details and while I really enjoyed the book my mood/mind has been all over the place, so I don't think I took in everything as well as I could? I already want to reread this.
But I did really really enjoy it. I loved the creativity that was put into the world, the casual gender diversity, all the nuances of language that were spoken about. I loved that pronouns and forms of address in Vietnamese (and the levels of intimacy implied) were highlighted. I really REALLY enjoyed the romance. It's not the main focus of the plot, but it did get more screen time than expected, which I was thrilled about. Vu Côn is a dreamboat, and I love romances where the parties are attracted to each other even in situations where it's definitely not advisable, so it was easy to identify and sympathise with Yên. "This dragon lady might want to eat me... but oh no, she's hot!" It was super intense and romantic, and maybe a little too fast, but I was wholly invested. I loved all the secondary characters and just the lushness in general of this broken world. The plot did lose me a few times, but it was easy enough to pick up the thread.
I definitely recommend this to fans of queer sff. Great read.
allimann's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I honestly didn’t totally understand what was happening during some of this- it was all very magical in a way that made it hard to picture the scenes. And the characters were pretty simple. But for a short novel doing as much as it was- it was very good. Loved the romance. Sapphic dragons for the win!
stacyaj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marigale's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. I wish this had been maybe a hundred pages longer and that the twins' had had chapters of their own. The world of this story is so interesting and I love a good, gay, retelling of a fairy tale (Beauty and the Beast! Beast is a dragon!). But it felt like the world and the characters didn't have enough time to really get fleshed out. I'll definitely reread and see if I like it more when I know more about what to expect.
chocobro's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0